Cancer to 5k

I haven’t written in a little while, but I wanted to write about my experience in the Cancer to 5k program today. The Cancer to 5k program is put on by the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults (see their blog, too). I can only say positive things about the experience. I wanted to use the program as a springboard to regain my physical fitness and lose the weight I had been wanting to lose before I got sick. I had packed on a good 25lb in the couple years prior to getting sick, and my overall fitness was suffering.

I got acute myelogenous leukemia in March of 2009, got serious complications that put me into a coma until April 2009, and I finished spending 2009 getting chemotherapy and learning how to get back to life. I had to learn to walk again, and I was still somewhat shaky walking at the beginning of this year, too. This program came along at just the right opportunity for me.

I can say with absolute certainty that I am now in better shape than when I was before I got sick! Coach Bob was outstanding keeping my workouts just tough enough to push me, but not so tough that I felt like I was going to die. I even lost 10lbs over the course of the training program, too!

The race was a nice event overall. The morning temp today was quite cold. There was frost on my windshield and patches of frost in the grass at the start/finish line. This was the third year for the event, and attendance shattered expectations. There were a couple hundred attendees, and kudos to the kids who ran BOTH the 1k kiddie run AND the 5k adult race.

My performance was right at my goal of a 10min/mile average for the whole race.

I had hoped for a 30min finish time, but the course was a hair longer than 5k, so I wound up with a race time just shy of 31min. I was out of placing, but very happy with how I did. It’s a personal record!

After the finish. I needed long sleeves, long pants, a smartwool beanie, and smartwool gloves to stay warm this morning! I dumped the gloves after finishing because I had warmed up, though.

I also have to give mad props to my wife. She was most unenthusiastic about starting the training program with me because she’s had bad experiences in her youth with running. I convinced her to be my running buddy, though, because I was certain Coach Bob would start us off easy and build us up. Imagine that even before the race today, she’s decided to start training for the Nike Women’s Half Marathon in San Francisco next year! Quite fitting since that race benefits the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Well, she scored a personal record today, as well! Awesome job!

(I bought my wife her own Forerunner for her birthday recently, and she loves it).

I’m going to keep with this running thing, too. I’ll be training with her for the half marathon next year, but I will choose a different race to run. For now, I want to do a few 5k races, and there are a handful we’re looking to do. There will be two more locally within the next month, so that’s totally cool.